Todd Porter: Kosta Koufos ready for the draft after working out in Vegas

Todd Porter

Wednesday

Jun 25, 2008 at 12:01 AM

When Kosta Koufos left for Las Vegas back in April, he went to Sin City with a few hundred bucks in his pockets.

When Kosta Koufos left for Las Vegas back in April, he went to Sin City with a few hundred bucks in his pockets.

Every few days, his agent, Mark Termini, or a representative would check and see if he needed more money. A 19-year-old kid in Vegas all alone could find a way to go through some dough.

Termini never did have to send more money.

All Koufos did was workout with renowned NBA trainer Joe Abunassar, play basketball and sleep.

“I wasn’t there to take a vacation,” Koufos said. “I was in Vegas to work hard, and it worked in my favor.”

Koufos had a few minutes between flights Tuesday evening. He hopped a plane in Phoenix to head back to Canton. His NBA whirlwind workout tour is over.

He hit 13 teams in 11 cities, and word is Koufos’ stock is rising a day before Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Tuesday was the second time the Suns worked out Koufos. The Cavaliers flew across the country to watch the 7-foot-1 GlenOak High School product.

Seattle, Toronto and Golden State took in Tuesday’s session as well.

“I studied video of the guys I’d be working against before I came in, and I felt very confident in my workout,” Koufos said. “I performed well. I was confident in my ability to play well in workouts, and I’m just blessed. I’m not anxious or nervous (for Thursday’s draft). I’m looking forward to it. I’ve done what I can do. It’s in God’s hands now.”

There seemed to be growing sentiment after the Phoenix workout that Koufos could land a spot in the top 10. ESPN.com NBA writer Chad Ford has moved Koufos up to the second-best center available in the draft behind Stanford’s 7-foot-1 giant Brook Lopez and in front of Florida’s Marreese Speights.

“I feel very confident in my position in the draft,” Koufos said. “I performed very well in every workout, and I have no regrets.”

Koufos, generally, is being projected to be a lottery-to-mid-first-round selection. He has worked out for eight of the 14 lottery teams -- Minnesota, Seattle, New Jersey, Charlotte, Portland, Golden State, Phoenix and Sacramento. Two others are trying to scheduled last-minute interviews.

“From what I’m hearing, there is an outside shot of him going in the lottery,” said Sam Amico, who writes for probasketballnews.com and NBA Inside Stuff. “I just think he would be a good fit in Cleveland. I hear Toronto might take him at 17; I don’t think Washington will take him (18th).”

Amico has not attended any of Koufos’ workouts. The player who left Ohio State and declared for the NBA earlier this year and the one who returned from Las Vegas are not the same player, Koufos’ high school head coach Jack Greynolds Jr. said.

“His upper body is a lot more defined now,” Greynolds said. “He’s got better balance on his shot and in his legs and feet. He’s smoother.”

Koufos received the same advice from Abunassar that Greynolds used to tell: Go home and get away from the game. That’s something Koufos has not done in many months.

“Sometimes I’d have to get nasty with him to take a day off,” Greynolds said. “Sleep. Relax. Get away from it. Joe told him to do the same thing, and I told Kosta I told him that, and he didn’t have to pay me $10,000.”

Greynolds has been involved in the draft process as well. He declined to disclose which teams called him, but a few checked deeper into Koufos’ background than others.

“The main thing I told them all was his character,” Greynolds said. “You’re not going to have to worry about him embarrassing your franchise. He’s not going to go out and buy a $75,000 car, hang out in strip clubs. He doesn’t have three pregnant girlfriends or a family to free load off him. He doesn’t have a posse of people to buy cars for in the summer. You give him a key to the gym, and he’ll be there. That’s it.

“Kosta was born for this. He loves basketball. He loves to travel. He’s having the time of his life now.”

Koufos said he wasn’t tired from the frequent flying.

“Not at all,” he said. “I miss my family, but I know this is the life I want to have. ... I’m very blessed.”

Lottery blessed?

Maybe.

Reach Repository sports writer Todd Porter at (330) 580-8340 or e-mail: todd.porter@cantonrep.com
Visit Porter’s blog at www.cantonrep.com/cornerseat for more takes, insight and observations in the local sports scene as well as Ohio State and all of Cleveland’s pro teams.

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